If donations continue to roll in Selma and Dallas County United Way Executive Director Jeff Cothran said the 2010 fundraising campaign could be a smashing success.

The United Way did not have a set goal heading into the campaign, Cothran said, but estimates have them well above what they had expected.

“We are actually about 3 percent ahead of where we were last year,” he said. “We are hoping and praying that we can keep it going because it will mean increased allocations to the agencies.”

The good news comes on the heels of a 2009 campaign that saw figured trend toward the opposite direction.

“Last year we were looking at a drop of about 4 percent,” he said. “There were some agencies that were looking at a 30 percent drop.”

The decrease, he said, hurt especially bad because the needs actually increased.

“Charitable giving has really been hit hard during the recession,” he said. “That is a shame because the need for these services has skyrocketed.”

Locally, Cothran said businesses have made a strong push to help the United Way support and expand its services.

Donations, Cothran said, help the United Way today and aid in achieving long-term goals.

In 2008, United Way initiated a 10-year program designed to improve education, and cut the number of high school dropouts in half and help people achieve financial stability, and get 1.9 million working families — half the number of lower-income families who are financially unstable — on the road to economic independence.

The plan is also designed to promote healthy lives, and increase the number of youth and adults who are healthy and avoid risky behaviors.

The campaign, Cothran said, ends Jan.1, but pledges are taken throughout the year.

For more information of programs or to make donations, call 874-8383.